LA Online Lesson

Select one of the photos / images and write a descriptive paragraph on it. Engage your 5 senses -- this means you should describe not only what is seen, but what is heard, smelt, tasted and felt. Use literary devices (sound, imagery, diction) to bring the scene to life.

Descriptive Paragraph

The overhead fighter planes were blasting missiles onto the ground, the sound throbbing in my ears. As I looked around at the impact of the destructive forces, what lay before me was a scene of total chaos. It was as if a tsunami waved had swept through the whole street, buildings collapsed, carcasses littered the streets and blood splattered onto the ground. The odour of the blood smelled like burning metal and stung my nose, the pungent stench of the decomposing bodies attracted swarms of flies. As I lay on the rocky terrain of the rundown street, my body ached from having to crouch in that position for hours at end. The harsh sun shone its flaring rays onto my blackened skin, burning them relentlessly. Sweat droplets streamed down my forehead and blinded my eyes.

Imagine you are a character living through one of the 20th century Wars. You can be either a civilian or a soldier. (Consider the age, gender, social class, occupation etc of the character.) Write a diary entry from the perspective of this person. Entitle your entry: A day in the life of _______ war. You should focus on a particular point in time of the war (eg. during or after a particular battle).

Alternatively, you can imagine yourself to be one of the characters in any one of these film clips. Write a diary entry from his point of view.

Band of Brothers – Diary Entry (Battle of the Bulge)

The day of the battle dawned upon us. We crouched with weapons in our hands, waiting in the trenches which circled the forest in anticipation of the fighting. We never knew where the enemy was going to attack us; they could attack us from the front, the rear or from above us. The air was cold and still, the silence was unbearable. Soon after, smoke started rising from the opposite side of the forest and drifted towards our trenches.

The first round of the shootings started; the bullets landed in the snow a few inches before where I was crouching. As I was about to get up to collect more ammunition, a bullet shot my right shoulder. I collapsed like a doll onto the ground and the steaming cup of coffee I was holding spilled onto my legs, paralysing them. At that instant, I thought of my wife and child who were eagerly waiting back home for me to go back to them. The next moment, my fellow comrades dragged me out of the trench with much effort. The deafening sound of rifles echoed in my ears.

Not long after, I was dragged away from where the heated fighting took place. Rocks and braches on the ground ripped my trousers and cut my legs. It lasted for an eternity. One of my friends treated my wound and I was soon brought back to camp. On the way, I was in a state of semi-consciousness, and heard muffled shooting in the distance...